Tag Archives: Kathleen Barry

Greetings! We've had a busy two months since our last Connections on September 1, details of which you can read in this newsletter and on our website: www.awcsb.org. NEW on our website is the ability to comment on what you read. We want to hear from you and value your feedback!
Here are some exciting events I want to tell you about:

Coming up at our November 2 meeting is Dr. Loretta Redd, who will talk on Speaking with Sex, Soul and Sense, which like Loretta, should be a "scintillating" talk! You can buy tickets at the door, $20 for students and members, $35 for guests.

Members Becky Christenson and Lisa Angle attended the National AWC conference held in Tulsa on Oct. 13-15. They had the honor of hearing our founding mother, Lois Phillips, receive an award and give a talk-details in this newsletter. Congratulations Lois!

We launched our first "Be-tweener" event on October 5 and will host future events every first Wednesday of months in which we don't have a meeting. The gathering is a no-charge networking opportunity for members and prospective members to mingle for Happy Hour at the Canary Hotel. A purely schmoozing event, it's a great way to introduce your friends to AWC in between bi-monthly meetings. Mark your calendar for January 4, 2012, first Wednesday of the month and join us at the Canary Hotel from 5:30-7:30 pm.

And don't forget to also schedule yourself for AWC's December 7 holiday party and fundraising event at the Canary Hotel, Start a BRAND New Year. We will be acknowledging the 2011 member of the year, Cindy Faith Swain for the work she has done for our chapter and for her Plan a Brand business. We will also sponsor a local non-profit, the Women's Fund of Northern Santa Barbara County. More details will be available at our November 2 meeting. See you there!

Finally, I want to let you know that Dr. Lynn K. Jones, formerly our president-elect, is now co-president, sharing that office with me as we begin the transfer to take place on January 1, 2012. Once Lynn moves up, a new president-elect will be appointed by our executive committee.

And now, a few words from Lynn .... "I am honored to serve in a new leadership capacity of AWC with Dr. Kathleen Barry. It is my profound belief that as women we have the capacity to influence people's hearts, minds and actions to bring about powerful and enduring change in our world. Lois Phillips founded our AWC Santa Barbara Chapter in that spirit; I appreciate the opportunity of continuing that important work."

President's Message from Kathleen Barry

Welcome to our fourth issue of our e-newsletter, Connections! It's hard to believe the summer is almost over and the fall is upon us, but I hope you've all had a chance to relax and rejuvenate from your busy lives.

On August 20, the new board met in retreat at La Casa De Maria to become better acquainted, learn more about the expertise each brings to the board in growing AWC-SB, and to identify priority goals for the coming year. Members worked together to refine and tweak role descriptions, arriving at a team consensus on how each will move forward in the coming year to bring you exciting programs and opportunities. We will be starting off with our September event, a presentation by Marcia Meier on facing and overcoming fears (see below). On November 2, Dr. Loretta Redd will explore challenges to effective communication across gender. And don't forget to save the date on your calendar for our holiday event on December 7th.

In coming newsletters, you will be hearing more about each new board member, but for now, know that the team is assembled and empowered for an exciting adventure of women in communication!

Want to play? I'd like to extend an invitation to all AWC-SB members to help plan programs and special events by joining ad hoc or standing committees. Contact us at awcsb@hotmail.com if you have special expertise to share. A few of our needs are:

Providing outreach to executives and women in communications fields and the media

Recruiting corporate sponsors for our special events.

You would work closely with one of our board members on any of these tasks on an ad hoc or ongoing basis. The benefit? Extending your network. Working on a project with other women in business is how close friendships develop!

Welcome to the second issue of our newsletter, Connections! This month's newsletter will introduce you to some of the women behind the scenes - our interns and others who have come on board in recent months. Also, I want you to know about two exciting events that are coming up!

First - Women of Achievement Luncheon on June 1, at the Hotel Mar Monte. We will be honoring two outstanding women, Starshine Roshell and Lynda Weinman for their contributions, our theme being From Ink to Internet: Honoring Visionaries in Communication.

Starshine Roshell is a nationally syndicated columnist and the author of two books, Keep Your Skirt On and Wife on the Edge. Her column appears weekly in the Independent and won a first-place award from the California Newspaper Publisher's Association. She teaches creative nonfiction writing at Santa Barbara City College and UCSB Extension.

Lynda Weinman is co-founder and executive chair of Carpinteria-based lynda.com, one of the largest online education companies in the world. Started in 1997 and ranked 12th fastest growing company in education by Inc. Magazine last year, lynda.com has gained international recognition as a top resource for online learning.

Our planning committee has been putting in a great deal of time and effort into ensuring that our June 1 luncheon is a success. Have you bought your ticket yet? Please do so today by going to our website at www.awcsb.org - you can pay online. If you experience any problems registering, please contact us at awcsb@hotmail.com.

AWC-SB is a 501C-6 nonprofit organization, and the Women of Achievement Luncheon is one of two annual fundraising events. We will be selling raffle tickets for several fun gifts that have been donated by chapter members and Santa Barbara businesses. There will be two phenomenal silent auction baskets available for a fierce bidding contest - you really won't want to miss the chance to win one of them! PLEASE REMEMBER TO BRING YOUR CHECK BOOK OR CASH - NO CREDIT CARDS!

Second - The UCSB Communication Association Mixer on May 4, on the UCSB campus at the Student Resource Building, 5:30-7:30 pm. I hope many of you will attend this opportunity to share your expertise as a successful, professional woman with students through networking AND to meet potential interns who could help you in your business. A lively panel on internship will be offered. Contact Amy Weitz, amyweitz@umail.ucsb.edu, for more information.

Hello! We are delighted to present the first edition of our AWC-SB e-newsletter,Connections. Thanks so much to Lois Phillips, Nancy Marriott, Teri Breier, and Lisa Angle for doing all that they did to make this first edition a reality. Since we have gone to an every-other-month meeting schedule, we are aware that it is critical to remain connected with each of you. We believe a newsletter is a first step towards accomplishing that goal.

Our vision of Connections is to do just that ... to provide a link between and among chapter members, and keep us connected regarding our chapter events and our members' accomplishments. We also want to provide a place for members to submit articles about their latest projects and advertise their various services. The newsletter is for YOU. Please let us know what you think of the format and do offer suggestions that you think might help us improve it.

By now you have received notification about our April 6 panel - Think Like A Woman, Get Paid Like A Man. You can read more about the program in this edition of the newsletter and on our website at www.awcsb.org. Please sign up today - you save money by pre-registering -and consider bringing a friend!

The planning committee for this year's Women of Achievement Luncheon is busy putting the structure in place. Please mark your calendar for Wednesday June 1, 2011 from 11:30-1:30 at the Hotel Mar Monte when we honor Starshine Roshell and Lynda Weinman for their outstanding contributions to the field of communications. Many thanks to the planning committee members for giving their time and energy to ensure that the event is a success: Cassidy Kjeldsen, Frances Goodrow, Loretta Redd, Lisa Angle, Jamie Powell, Austin Cazort, and Patricia Diorio.

To share what is exciting and new for me, I have just returned from Philadelphia where I presented at the 36th Annual Association for Women in Psychology conference. My presentation, entitled What Can 8 Former Catholic Nuns Over the Age of 70 Tell 21st Century Audiences About Women, Power, and Authority? identified the ways the former nuns challenged the sanctioned authority of the Catholic Church and how these acts of questioning transformed the personal and communal relationships they had to authority, power, and obedience.

I noted in my presentation the value of contemporary women looking back and reinvestigating moments in the past when women challenged the cultural, legal, political, and social contexts that succeeded in perpetuating gender inequality. Through a passionate rethinking of history rather than a passive memorizing of historical facts frozen in time, I believe past resistances to gender oppression can serve as viable conduits to open better futures for women.

It is from my commitment to the betterment of all women and people that I choose to serve as your president of the Santa Barbara chapter of AWC. It is a privilege and honor to be associated with you, our members, who hold the same values!